This invention relates to hemostatic surgical clip applying methods and apparatus, and to surgical clips for use therein. More particularly, the invention relates to hemostatic surgical clip applying methods and apparatus in which clips contained in a clip applying instrument are automatically fed one at a time to the clip closing portion of the instrument as the instrument is operated.
In-line feeding of the clips in surgical clip applying apparatus is highly desirable because it eliminates the need for a bulky clip magazine near the distal end of the instrument. Such a magazine may obstruct the surgeon's view of the jaws of the instrument when the instrument is being used to apply hemostatic clips to body tissue in a surgical procedure. Several techniques for in-line surgical clip feeding have been developed, but many of these techniques tend to be relatively complicated and to require a large number of parts or elements to advance the clips to the clip closing portion of the apparatus.
It is therefore an object of this invention to improve and simplify surgical clip applying methods and apparatus.
It is a more particular object of this invention to provide surgical clip applying methods and apparatus with improved and simplified in-line feeding of the clips to the clip closing portion of the apparatus.